Pipe-coupling



Patented Sept. 21, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QEETQEl NATHANIEL E. SMITH, OF JERSEY CITY, NEV JERSEY.

PIPE-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 590,342, dated September 21, 1897. Application filed June 17, 1897 Serial'No. 641,166. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at J ersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Couplings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others Skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in pipe-couplings of that class which are designed for connecting a lead or soft-metal pipe-section with a hard-metal pipe-section or with another lead pipe-section, and which do away with wiping the joint, and thus dispense with the skilled labor necessary to the same.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which Figure l is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating my improved couplings as connecting two soft-metal pipesections and a cock. Fig. 2 comprises enlarged views, partly in elevation and partly in section, of several of the parts makingup said coupling; and Fig. 3 is an elevation ilustrating my improved couplings as con necting two soft-metal pipescctions with a hard-metal union or pipe-section to which a faucet is connected.

Before describing the details of construction I would say that I am well aware that it is not new to employ a button with a circumferential flange to be received between the ends of two sections of pipe, the ends of the pipes being simply flared either by the button itself or by driving a conical implement therein, and I therefore make no claim to the same.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, A indicates a cock of brass or other com: paratively hard metal which has the opposite ends of its body exteriorly threaded, as shown, and B indicates pipe-sections of lead or other soft metal which have collar-flanges O at their ends contiguous to the ends of the cock A, as

Shown. These collar-flanges O are formed on the pipe-section B by upsetting the metal of said pipe or by any other mode which does not entail forcing the metal thereof upwardly by driving an implement larger than the bore of the pipe into the end of the same, as is commonly practiced by plumbers.

. In virtue of the collar flanges 0 being formed in the manner stated it will be appreciated that they are rendered very strong, and when they are subjected to pressure they will not tend to give inwardly as will those flanges which are simply formed by introducing a conical implement into the end of a pipe-section and forcing the same outwardly. Each of the collar-flanges O has as essential characteristics the comparatively broad exterior surface I) on its side contiguous to the end of the cock A, which is square to the length of its section B and the interior bearing-surface c, and said collar 0 is also provided, in preference, with the exterior.

square surface a on its side contiguous to the body of the section B and the beveled exterior surface cl, for a purpose presently described. The interior surface 0 of the collarflange O is preferably concave, as shown, for reasons which will presently appear; but I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to such form, as in some cases it may be tapered or gradually reduced in diameter until it merges into the interior surface of the body of the pipe-section.

The couplings for effecting connection between the pipe-sections B and the ends of the body of cock Aare identical in construction, and therefore a description of the one shown at the right of Fig. 1 and also shown in de tail in Fig. 2 will suffice for both. Among other things said coupling comprises the thimble or pipe connection D, which is of hard metal. This thimble is of a diameter at one end to snugly receive the lead pipe-section B, as indicated by e, and it is interiorly shaped to snugly engage the collar-flange 0, being preferably provided with the square interior shoulder f to bear against the exterior square surface a of the collar-flange C and with the interiorly-threaded portion 9 to receive the threaded end of the cock A, as shown.

Between the shoulder f and side wall of the thimble D and the beveled surface d of the btitterrpr 'afiiiiilus E'has one of its sides flat,

as indicated by h, to bear against the square surface g of the cock A, while its other side t'is preferably convex in conformity to the interior surface 0 of the collar-flange O, and it is provided with the peripheral flange 3', one side of which is flush with the flat surface h, while its other side k is square, so as to bear against the square surface I) of the collarfiange C, 'as shown.

In effecting a connection between pipe B and cook A the thimble or connecting-piece D is placed on the pipe-section B, with the brass washer E interposed between it and the beveled surface cl of the collar-flange O, and the button or ELIIHUMSGZLJCBCI in the end of the pipe-section B. The said end of the pipe B is then placed in proximity to the end of the cock A, and the thimble D is turned on said cock A until the parts are drawn very tightly together, as shown in Fig. 1. hen this is done, it will be observed that the flat square face h of the button F being of soft metal will accommodate itself to all irregularities in the square end g of the hard-metal cock A, and in consequence leakage between the surfaces g and h will be eifectually prevented. At the same time it willbe observed that the button F and the collar-flange C will be pressed so tightly together as to be really one homogeneous piece, which will preclude leakage between them, and this without either one of them losing its original shapeand without the button being pressed into the softmetal section B beyond the position shown, which would materially weaken the coupling and impair its efficiency as a preventer of leakage.

The soft-metal parts are prevented from losing their original shape under the great pressure to which they are subjected, and the button F is prevented from being pressed in the direction indicated by arrow into the soft section B beyond the position shown by the manner described of forming the collar-flange O of said section B and the fact that the collar-flange is thoroughly supported by the button F, which bears against the interior surface 0 and exterior square surface I) thereof, and the thimble D, which bears against the other side of said collar-flange. In this way it will be seen that notwithstanding the fact that the-parts are pressed so tightly together as to form a joint as perfectly water-tight as a wiped joint the original shapeof all of the parts is preserved, which materially conduces to the efiiciency and strength of the coupling. Again, itwill be appreciated that the coupling may be effected much more quickly and easily than a wiped joint and without the employment of the skilled labor necessary to the making of such a j oint,which is an important desideratum. The brass ring E,described,is preferable,becauseitincreases the square surface'against which the shoulderfof the thimble D bears, and thus enables the said connection to better prevent the collar-flange C from being pressed out of its original shape. Said ring E is not, however, essential, and it may be omitted when desired. The convex surface 1' of the button F is preferable because it assists the flange 3 in preventing the button from working farther into the lead pipe B than the position shown and assists in supporting the collar-flange C; but it also is not essential, and when desired the protuberance of the button may be made angular.

IV'hile I have shown my improved couplings as connecting two soft-metal pipe-sections with the opposite ends of a cock-body, I do not desire to be understood as confining myself to the same, as the coupling may be employed to connect a soft-metal pipe-section to the end of a faucet-body or to the end of any other hard-metal pipe-section or with another soft-metal pipe-section.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings I have shown a construction in which two soft-metal pipesections 13 are connected with the opposite ends of a hard-metal union or pipe-section A by my improved couplings. The said union or hard-metal pipe-section A has ends similar to those of the cock A and carries a faucet A and it is designed to be connected to a wall or other suitable support by a track, as illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a pipe-coupling, the combination of the soft-metal pipe to be connected,having the external flange 0, formed thereon and provided with the exterior bearing-surface 1), square to the length of the pipe, and the interior bearing-surface c, a button or annulus of soft metal or other substance having the protuberance 2 conforming in shape to the interior surface 0, of the collar-flange O, and the peripheral fiange with the square surface engaging the surface I), of the collar-flange and a connection or connecting-piece consisting of a screw-threaded thimble arranged on the soft-metal pipe and snugly engaging the collar-flange thereof and adapted to engage the complementary portion of a pipe, substantially as specified.

2. In a pipe-coupling, the combination of a threaded hard-metal pipe-section having a square end g, a soft-metal pipe-section having the fixed external collar-flange O, with the exterior bearing surface 1), square to the length of the pipe and the interior bearingsurface a, the soft-metal button or annulus having the flat side forengaging the square end of the hard-metal section, the protubertoo anee 2 conforming in shape to the interior threaded hard-metal pipe-section, Substaib surface a, of the collar-flange O, and the petiaily as specified. IO ripheral flange with the square surface en- In testimony whereof I affix my signature gaging the surface Z), of the collar-flange and in presence of two Witnesses.

a connection or connecting-piece consisting NATHANIEL E. SMITH.

of the screw-threaded thimble arranged on Vitnesses:

the soft-metal pipe-section and engaging the ROBERT P. SMITH,

collar-flange thereof and also engaging the ARTHUR A. SMITH. 

